The new collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) leaves businesses closed and hits entrepreneurs already struggling with shortages and high costs.
14ymedio, Havana, Generation Y, Yoani Sánchez / “Closed” is the most prominent word this Saturday in the window of a private bakery on Ayestarán Street in Havana. Below, another sign promises much more ambitious hours: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. in the glass the is also displayed the price of a bag of bread. There are hours, there iss a price, and even a door waiting for someone to open it. What there isn’t is bread.
The image could serve to refute some of the many official meetings that have recently discussed Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation, innovation, and new technologies as tools to revive Cuba’s ailing economy. All that would be missing is a rather less sophisticated question at the bottom: with what electricity?
While officials and academics debate algorithms, automation, and the possibilities of AI, the average Cuban small business owner is waging a far more elemental technological battle. They need the freezer to cool, the oven to heat, the mixer to turn, and the lights to come on. Before ChatGPT, there’s the kilowatt; before the digital future, they have to make sure the milk doesn’t curdle.
For the proprietors of these businesses, every hour of blackout means merchandise at risk, reduced income, and lost customers.
The latest collapse of the national electrical grid (SEN) this Friday has once again dealt a severe blow to small businesses. This Saturday, many woke up to find their doors closed; others opened to empty refrigerators, warm drinks, or a selection of goods reduced to a minimum. For these proprietors, every hour of blackout means merchandise at risk, reduced income, and lost customers.
For the bakeries, the blow has again been double. In the face of the collapse of the national electrical grid (SEN), the lack of manufactured gas, due to the repairs announced by Cuba Petróleo (Cupet), have already compromised the production of bread in havana this friday. Without gas and then without electricity, the margin for performing miracles is considerably reduced.
Perhaps one day Artificial Intelligence will help forecast sales, manage inventory, and make these businesses more efficient. For now, in Ayestarán, the crucial technology remains much older: a switch that, when flipped, turns on a light bulb.
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